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Let me just start off by saying I know this has been covered before, but no one has given a definitive answer, so I figured I'd make a thread for future reference.

I have an auto, and our cars come with a mechanical fan (engine driven) as well as an auxiliary fan to help with A/C and extra cooling power.

However, when I installed my supercharger, I had to remove the Aux fan to fit the intercooler. Because of that, the car would overheat when sitting at idle for too long, or if I ran the A/C (which wasn't even cold). I had to find a solution. I started looking at aftermarket fans, while also researching if I could swap an electric fan from a manual transmission E46.

I found a couple threads, but no real answers. I finally decided to PM the almighty and infinitely knowledgeable Mr. Nick G @ Technique Tuning, who informed me that it is a direct swap, and he performs this swap on his steptronic cars with no problems.

The mechanical fan and the aux fan have both been removed on my car, and replaced with a single OEM electric fan. So far so good. No wiring, no fitment issues, nada. Plops right in, plugs right in, and works.

Part # 17-11-7-561-757-M14
Cheapest place to buy: Pelican Parts - Click for direct link
Price: $253.00
Why?: Because a good aftermarket electric fan costs $150+. This is $100 more, and it's a direct plug-n-play.

Wondering the same thing... I realize it means less parasitic load on the engine but is it enough to make an appreciable difference?

Can we get more details on the install? I've been thinking about this and the price is fine with me. But I'd also like to know if it's something I can reasonably do myself or will I wind up paying more to have a shop do the labor.

Wondering the same thing... I realize it means less parasitic load on the engine but is it enough to make an appreciable difference?

Can we get more details on the install? I've been thinking about this and the price is fine with me. But I'd also like to know if it's something I can reasonably do myself or will I wind up paying more to have a shop do the labor.

Thanks!

Just remove the old, and plop this right in. Literally. There's nothing special to it.

Wondering the same thing... I realize it means less parasitic load on the engine but is it enough to make an appreciable difference?

it's more than worth it just for the fact that you won't have to worry about the mechanical fan blowing up.

i blew my mechanical fan twice, with no warning. bimmer shop(yes, that's what it's called) thinks the likely culprit was the water pump. anyhow, because of the fan blades exploding, it took out my radiator, a bunch of hoses, and even punctured the hood. i was actually going to eventually do the electric fan conversion with a SPAL fan, but that one requires a new relay, thermostat, and wiring kit, as well as a mounting kit...